Covid-19: Six states contribute 83% of new deaths as single-day toll crosses 300
While Maharashtra's 24-hour toll of 166 was the highest this year, Delhi on Saturday recorded 10 deaths, highest since January 23.
In the last 24 hours, India reported 312 Covid-19 deaths, the highest single-day toll recorded in this year. The last time the country witnessed over 300 deaths was on December 25, 2020, when 336 deaths were reported in 24 hours. Amid the number of rising daily infections, this adds a fresh concern as the death rate, so far, remained low, despite the evident outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic.
Here are 5 points about the present Covid-19 death rate in the country.
> About 83 per cent of deaths have been reported only in six states in the last 24 hours. These states are those which are also reporting a spike in daily infections.
> Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of deaths in the last 24 hours.
> Delhi's 24-hour death count is concerning as the Capital did not report such a huge number of toll after January 23. On January 23, there were 10 deaths and 197 fresh cases. While the toll was repeated, the new cases on Saturday were manifold, as the city reported 1,558 fresh cases.
> Maharashtra's death toll of 166 in 24 hours was highest in 2021. Punjab reported 45 deaths, while Kerala accounted for 14 deaths. A total of 13 deaths were reported in Chhattisgarh, while Delhi and Madhya Pradesh reported 10 deaths each.
> Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, A&N Islands, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh reported no deaths in the last 24 hours.
New cases, weekly positivity rate
The country has been seeing a sharp spike in the number of daily cases since March. The 24-hour tally of 62,714 cases is the highest this year. According to the data of the Union health ministry, India reported over 62,000 cases last time in October 2020. After the highest peak in September, daily cases started dropping but a surge was again witnessed in October following the festivals.
At present, India's weekly positivity rate is 5.04 per cent. Maharashtra, Chadigarh, Punjab, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have weekly positivity rate higher than the national average.
